


Meet Me on the Equinox

by Destinyiel



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Criminals, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Crimes & Criminals, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, F/F, F/M, Guns, Gunshot Wounds, Hurt/Comfort, Illegal Activities, Kidnapping, M/M, Protective Siblings, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:48:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23549407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Destinyiel/pseuds/Destinyiel
Summary: “Yes,” Alec said bitterly. “Dealing drugs and fencing stolen goods, that’s all I could ever dream of after college!”Graduation is something that a lot of people look forward to for the entire course of their college career. But for Alec Lightwood, it has become synonymous with the day he loses his chance of living the life he wanted for himself and he has to go back to being under control of his parents. He doesn't believe he can ever truly be free, until he meets a stranger whose first instinct is to convince Alec otherwise. Can Alec repay him with the same when the opportunity arises?
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Isabelle Lightwood, Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood, Magnus Bane & Simon Lewis, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane/Camille Belcourt, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Simon Lewis/Maia Roberts
Comments: 28
Kudos: 49





	1. American Dream

**Author's Note:**

> Hello my lovelies! ♥ Long time no see!
> 
> I hope you're all staying safe and taking care of yourselves in these trying times. I certainly hit creative low during the first weeks of the isolation, but I managed to find my way back to writing, for which I'm extremely grateful.
> 
> So I present you the first chapter of my new Malec fic, Meet Me on the Equinox! I hope you guys will like it. 
> 
> It wouldn't exist now at all if it wasn't for my lovely girlfriend, Kim (@malecsmercy) - thank you, love, for always supporting me and being my number one fan. Love you the most! ♥
> 
> It would mean the world to me if you guys let me know if you like my work, either by leaving a comment here or on twitter - if anyone wants to live tweet, the hashtag for the fic is #EquinoxFic, and my username is @sylightwood if you want to yell at me for any reason.
> 
> I also copied my girlfriend and made a playlist for the fic, you can find it HERE: [click here!](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6LRnuLeu53F4LFEfs3Uihd?si=VVBlXP-4TWqYqWmY_QRjHw)
> 
> Without further ado, chapter 1. 
> 
> Love,   
> Syl

_“_ _Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.”  
_ -Albert Camus

* * *

Graduation is something that a lot of people look forward to for the entire course of their college career. But for Alec Lightwood, it has become synonymous with the day he loses his chance of living the life he wanted for himself and he has to go back to being under control of his parents. During the last few years, Alec allowed himself to toss aside the shadow that loomed above him and kept reminding him about the fate Robert and Maryse Lightwood have perfectly crafted for him when he was barely even sixteen - but he was never able to completely forget about it. Not even when new meds kept his mind a little sounder and his heart a little calmer than usual. He always remembered the day when his parents left him and Isabelle in New York and went to London, because they felt the need to “branch out”.

Being basically abandoned by his parents at such a young age, with a sister who was even younger than him, was harder than he would have thought. For two years they stayed with their uncle Hodge, but when he died, they were completely and utterly alone. Isabelle insisted on moving to London, to live with their parents, but because at that point Alec was already eighteen, they thought it would be best if they stayed “home”. 

Four years later, today, Alec was a college graduate. With a degree in Information Technology, he could get a well-paid job, he could go into business with his college friend - Simon Lewis, who was planning on using the money he earned singing in pubs and bars basically every night for four years, to start his own company. Alec admired him. He never had to worry about the money, because he could always ask his parents for more, or sell one of the extravagant gifts he got from them for Christmas or his birthday or whenever they felt the need to compensate for years of being absent in their children’s lives. But there were days, most days, actually, when he felt like a prisoner of his family, and of their money. Only two things stopped him from cutting all ties from his parents and rejecting everything he ever received from them - the fact that he never had to work to support himself before, and the fact that there was still a chance for Isabelle to have a relatively good relationship with their parents. That’s something he didn’t want to take from her, that’s why he never talked about them too badly in front of her, he always tried to justify his choices to her. But when they grew older, his sister began to understand more and more and she saw right through him whenever he gave another half-hearted hug to their mother on Christmas or when he visibly deflated whenever his phone rang and the screen showed “Maryse” or “Robert” calling. 

“What are you gonna wear to the party?” Isabelle’s voice brought Alec back to reality. They were sitting in the living room and absent-mindedly watching some ridiculous cooking show about the worst chefs in America. Alec used to tease Izzy that maybe she should sign up, but ever since she “accidentally” put a whole packet of cayenne pepper in the Chinese takeout they ordered, he kept his mouth shut about his sister’s cooking skills. 

“Do we have to go?” Alec retorted and received an exasperated glance from Isabelle, who stood up and headed to the kitchen to refill her drink. 

“Of course we do, dummy,” she shouted from the kitchen, and Alec sighed in response. “Come on, Alec, it’s the last peaceful night out we can have before our parents arrive tomorrow. Especially since they want you to work for them.”

Alec desperately tried not to think about the doomsday that was the day Robert and Maryse Lightwood would move back to New York after six years. He already received numerous calls and texts from Maryse telling him not to bother looking for a job because with his IT skills he would be extremely useful in their “business”. 

“Yes,” Alec said bitterly. “Dealing drugs and fencing stolen goods, that’s  _ all  _ I could ever dream of after college!” 

Isabelle set her drink down on the coffee table and threw herself onto the couch next to Alec, who fixed his eyes on the TV screen. She rubbed his shoulder gently, trying to cheer him up. Alec put his hand on hers. He didn’t show it enough, but he couldn’t imagine his life without Izzy. If it wasn’t for her, he probably wouldn’t be sitting there right now. All he ever hoped for was for her to have a good life. If that meant signing away his own to the devil, he was ready to do it in a heartbeat. However, his perspective slightly changed in the past few years. When he first dipped his toes in the proverbial water of college life, normal life, he didn’t think he would assimilate that well, but he was quick to find some good friends like Simon, Andrew, Maia… He even had a boyfriend or two. They never stayed with him for too long because he was either too secretive or not interested in them enough. He was always a firm believer that when he would finally meet the love of his life, his soulmate, everything would finally make sense somehow, that every single thing in his life would fall into place, and the other person would become his world. But none of his college boyfriends got even close to sparking that feeling in him, or any feeling whatsoever, except for the brief physical pleasure. 

“We could always talk to them.” Isabelle stated. She was always the optimistic one in the family. “Raphael told me they’re bringing someone with them, a woman. Maybe she’s gonna work for them after all, maybe they would let you do what you want-”

“Izzy, when did they ever let me do what I wanted?” Alec interrupted her. “Ever since I was fucking five years old, it was always like  _ no, Alec, you can’t go play to the playground, you know we have enemies that could shoot you on the spot. No, Alec, you can’t go to the public school with your pre-school best friend, you know we need top security. No, Alec, you can’t sleep over, we have business to take care of and you have to go with us. _ Let’s face it, Izzy, I was always their slave, that’s not just gonna stop now when they can actually use me for something.”

It felt good to vent in that particular moment. Alec felt angry, so angry, at his parents, a bit at Izzy for planting this little seed of hope in him every now and then only to get hit by the brick wall of reality every single time. But mostly at himself, because he was scared. He was so scared that he could not even imagine standing up to his parents. When it comes to them, he was still a little child constantly paranoid that someone would kidnap him again, or do something worse to him. He didn’t talk much about the week he spent in another family of criminals’ basement, terrified and helpless, when they wanted to make his parents pay for stealing something they wanted to steal for themselves. 

He was seven years old, and by now most of the memories from that week have faded, but every now and then he would still see that goddamn basement in one of his nightmares and wake up all sweaty and in a state of panic. That’s why he always slept with a gun under his pillow. There have been brief periods of time when he thought he would never actually need it, but he never threw it out or hid it anywhere. He knew better. 

He knew that in this line of work that he would be forced to get involved in, people get hurt. People die. And as much as he hated to admit it even to himself, he was scared shitless. He worried about himself, about his sister, about his friends, and it stopped him from enjoying his life, from forming new relationships and ultimately from letting people in. 

“Oh, Alec…” Isabelle whispered and pulled Alec in a tight embrace. She rested her cheek on his shoulder and let out a heavy sigh. “This is just so unfair. I hate the fact that our parents want you to get involved in all of this when all they want from me is to stay out of it.”

That was true. From day one, their father decided that Jace and Alec are going to inherit the family business, while Isabelle’s role was simplified to basically being a socialite. She was supposed to make friends, enjoy parties, and expand her connections - just in case the Lightwoods needed some strings pulled on the higher level than just the criminal world. 

On one hand, Alec envied his sister. As long as she did the minimum, she could still maintain this relative feeling of safety and privacy - she didn’t even appear as the part of the Lightwood family, as Robert and Maryse made her use a fake last name. In the whole wide world there were only a few people who knew that the mysterious Isabelle Lovelace was actually the youngest heir to the Lightwood fortune. 

On the other hand though, he was so glad that Izzy would get a chance to live her life the way she wanted to, hang out with whoever she wanted to,  _ love whoever she wanted to. _ Alec knew he would never get that privilege unless he really fights for it, but he rejected any thoughts of putting up an actual fight - because God knows what price his parents would make him pay for it. 

“Izzy, it’s okay.” He returned her embrace and immediately he felt his entire body relax. Being with his sister has always been his safe place, ever since childhood. He was older, so it was customary that he took care of her, but if he was being honest, she has done much more for him than he did for her, because throughout the years she’s been his rock and supported him no matter what. Everything else in his life was temporary, but Isabelle, she was there through thick and thin. “I’m okay. Who knows, maybe one day they’ll let me go, you know?”

Isabelle nodded but didn’t reply. Instead, she let Alec go and put on a bright smile before she was face to face with him again. 

“Well, tonight is all about you, big brother,” she said and kissed him on the cheek. Alec groaned and rolled his eyes, but ultimately gave in to his sister’s wishes, grabbed his phone and walked straight to his room to pick out an outfit for the party. 

He opened his closet, and what he saw was a big pile of black clothes, as there was not much variety in what he wore on a day to day basis. He quickly scanned through all his shirts, and right when he reached for one of his fancy black shirts, another piece of clothing caught his attention, and he grabbed the navy jean shirt instead. Alec did not believe in wearing colorful clothing, that’s why this was basically his idea of going crazy for the occasion. He glanced one last time towards the other clothes but eventually he put on the one he was holding in his hands and looked in the mirror. 

The black jeans he already had on went perfectly with the shirt, so he decided not to change them. Instead, since he had more time, he threw himself onto his bed and grabbed his phone to call Simon up and invite him to go out with him and Isabelle tonight. In some way, this felt like a goodbye, since tomorrow Alec was supposed to succumb into the world of crime and fucked up family relations. 

After as many as two beeps, Alec heard his friend’s voice.

“Lightwood!” Simon exclaimed and Alec couldn’t help but smile to himself. Simon was the best friend he’s ever had, truly. He was loyal, smart, and contrary to everyone’s beliefs, funny as hell, at least to Alec. 

“Hey, Simon.” Alec replied. “Isabelle and I are going out tonight, and I was wondering if you wanna come with?” 

“Ooh, third-wheeling you and your not-girlfriend? Sounds fun!” Simon said and Alec was mortified. He was pretty sure he rolled his eyes so hard they did a full one-eighty into his head. 

Since Isabelle’s real identity was hidden to the world, Alec had to tell Simon she was his friend, but he knew damn well that whenever Simon smelled an opportunity to make inappropriate insinuations, he would, therefore a suspicion of his that Isabelle was actually dating Alec was born. 

“Gross, Simon!” Alec groaned in response and heard a loud laugh on the other end of the call. “She’s my little sister!” He yelled instinctively, and before he realized what he said, he heard a confused “uhh” coming from his best friend.

“She’s  _ like _ my little sister. Don’t be gross.” Alec murmured and Simon seemed defeated.

“Okay, okay, I won’t mention it again,” Simon said, but when Alec opened his mouth to thank him, he said something else. “On one condition! You let me bring my childhood best friend tonight. He just came back from Indonesia and I wanted to introduce him to you guys.”

Alec remembered his own childhood best friend and felt a slight tug on his heart. He had a conversation with him a couple years back, but it was clear that Andrew was living his own life and there was no place for Alec there anymore. It hurt, but Alec thought it was for the best. The only way people wouldn’t get hurt in his presence was if they were not a part of his life anymore. So after exchanging Christmas wishes that one last time, he decided not to seek contact with Andrew anymore. 

“Sure.” Alec replied. “Is he also a huge nerd like you?” 

Simon chuckled in response. “I might be a huge nerd, but you’re friends with this huge nerd. Which one’s worse?”

“Fine!” Alec said after letting out a loud laugh. “Fuck, you’re right. I should rethink my choice of friends.”

“First of all, rude,” Simon said, and then Alec heard the voice of his sister, Becky, but he couldn’t make out the words that she said. After a brief pause, Simon spoke again. “And second of all, I gotta run. My sister’s laptop broke again, and she wants me to work my magic on it like last time. I swear, I’ll just buy her a new one so she stops bothering me every week or so.”

“Alright, see you in two hours! We’re gonna grab dinner and then meet up at Pandemonium. Sounds good?” Alec asked. 

“Sounds great! See you there.” Simon replied and hung up.

Alec liked Pandemonium the most out of all the clubs his sister dragged him to. The dark vibe of it suited him perfectly, and the drinks were regarded by the general public as the best in the entire New York City. Also, his best memories of these last few years were equally made at his apartment and at the Pandemonium. Alec often revisited these memories - the time when Isabelle first met Simon when he came to visit Alec and cry about something that happened on Attack on Titan, when they all went out for Alec’s birthday last year and Simon and Izzy ordered Alec a stripper, to whom Alec infamously said that the club has air conditioning and that he should put his clothes on… All of these little things were the most treasured memories for Alec, even if other people would find them trivial or uninteresting. 

Alec closed his eyes and for a second he was in the perfect world where this didn’t have to change. Where things could still make him feel alive and where everything is simple and mundane.

When he was about to doze off, he heard a loud knock on his bedroom door. 

“Are you coming out or not?” Isabelle asked through the closed door and Alec let out a laugh.

“I did it many years ago, Iz.” He retorted and heard a deep sigh on the other side of the door, but when Isabelle spoke next, he could tell she was grinning.

“You’re insufferable!” She grumbled and without any other warning burst through the door dressed in her favorite red dress and high-heels, with her hair and make-up done to perfection, like always. Alec wondered how she always managed to get ready so fast, but when he asked her about that, she always insisted on teaching him how to do make-up effectively, and he was definitely not in a mood for that right now

“Please, do come in,” he said instead with a smirk and made a hand gesture towards the door. His sister didn’t know when to leave him alone, but he loved her for that. Because it was in times when he wanted to be alone when he needed to be with someone the most.

“Wow!” Isabelle exclaimed as she stared Alec’s party outfit down with a sense of pride and excitement. “I know it’s a gay stereotype, but for a guy who mainly wears black, you somehow always find a way to look stylish.”

“Well, what can I say?” Alec smiled back at her. “I wear my monochrome loud and proud.” 

He jumped off the bed, reached for his drawer where he held all his beauty products, picked out his hair gel and put the tiniest bit of it in his hair, to make it look like a well organized mess, as he liked to call it. He grabbed his phone and wallet and joined Isabelle, who was now waiting for him impatiently in the corridor. When he was opening the front door, his phone rang and he saw a text message from their mother. 

_ We’ll be in New York tomorrow morning, we had to make a quick detour to France. Love you. _

“Good or bad news?” Isabelle said and raised her eyebrow at her brother, who was frowning and it seemed like his mood suddenly got much worse. Deep down, Isabelle knew who the text was from. Only two people in the world could get that reaction out of Alec.

Alec locked his phone and put it on the bookshelf near the front door. It buzzed once again, but this time he didn’t even glance towards it, instead he held the door open for Izzy as she gracefully walked out of the apartment, clearly accepting the fact that she might not get an answer to her previous question. However, as Alec was locking the door, her assumptions were proven incorrect.

“It was Mom,” he said and shook his head. “They’re gonna be here tomorrow morning. She said they had to go to France or something.”

Isabelle and Alec were used to being pushed to the background when it came to their parents. There was always something more important, something that would bring them money or the opportunity to grease some palms and branch out their business even further. Alec thought that perhaps they were now trying to extend it to France. They did seem extremely comfortable on the European turf, after all they abandoned their kids to go there. 

“Forget it.” Alec continued and sent his sister a bright smile. He didn’t want her to worry about him, after all, she was even younger than him when their parents left. Alec was almost an adult, but Izzy was still a kid, and it definitely took an emotional toll on her. She didn’t talk about it a lot, but she felt a lot of anger towards their parents, just like Alec did. “Even they can’t fuck this day up. Come on, let’s eat some good food and then get drunk.”

* * *

After eating a delicious meal at Taki’s - Isabelle and Alec’s favorite bistro, they grabbed the taxi and drove straight to the Pandemonium. As the car approached the club, Alec noticed Simon waiting outside, clearly looking for him and Izzy, cause when they opened the car door and emerged from inside, Simon started waving his hands at them, a clear indicator that he saved them a spot in the line. 

Alec paid the taxi driver and put his wallet back into the pocket of his jeans. He was always getting yelled at by Izzy for carrying his wallet like that to the club, because someone could easily steal it, but the key to success according to Alec was never taking all of the money that he had, just enough to enjoy a good night out with friends. When it comes to the documents, Alec carried his ID behind his phone case, so that even if his wallet got stolen, he wouldn’t be left without the most important things that required a lot of bureaucracy to get copies of. 

As Alec and Izzy made their way to the line into the club, Alec noticed that Simon was not standing there alone. Not that far away from him stood a man in a thin, almost see-through burgundy shirt with some gold accents whirling around the man’s back and accentuating his beautifully muscled arms. The man’s entire posture, despite being quite muscular, seemed incredibly graceful, and Alec could swear he has never seen a man like that before, even if so far he’s only seen his back. The stranger’s shoulders shook and his head tilted back a bit, and Alec assumed he laughed at something the person on the other side of his phone call had said. Then, he raised his left arm and started playing with his hair, as the rings on his fingers and his painted fingernails glistened in the lights coming from the inside of the club and all the streetlights around. 

When they finally approached Simon and the mysterious man he stood there with, Alec and Izzy both hugged Simon, while his companion was still deep in conversation, not paying any attention to the outside world, it seemed. Alec couldn’t help but glance towards him, hoping to catch a glimpse of his face, slightly fearing that he might simply fall over if it’s as gorgeous as the rest of him. 

At this point he knew that it could only be one person, Simon’s childhood best friend - Magnus. What he wondered was how a nerd like Simon gets to be friends with the literal embodiment of a modern god. 

“What’s up with Lightwood today?” Alec heard Simon murmur to Izzy and he quickly turned towards his best friend with a frown. Seeing Alec’s expression made Simon raise his hands in defense, which in turn made Izzy laugh out loud and pat both of them on the shoulder. 

“I think he’s trying out his new intimidating face, because God forbid he gets laid tonight!” Isabelle exclaimed and a few girls standing in front of them turned around thinking they were being sneaky and giggled. Alec rolled his eyes at this entire situation, but almost as per his previous request, he heard a soft voice coming from behind him.

“I’m sorry, guys, I had to take this, my aunt was just making sure I settled in alright.”

All three of them turned to Magnus, who joined the group and absent-mindedly brushed his fingers down Alec’s shoulder apologetically. Alec suddenly felt shivery, despite the evening being extraordinarily warm. He allowed himself to glance towards Magnus once again, and what he saw made his knees weak. 

Magnus was  _ beautiful _ . Simply breathtaking. His eyeliner worked perfectly with his dark eyes, and his brown skin was simply glowing. Little crinkles formed around his lips when he was smiling, and when his eyes met Alec’s, Alec could’ve sworn his pupils dilated a bit, but it could have also been Alec’s imagination. After all, he didn’t believe he was anything extraordinary to look at. 

People always noticed Isabelle more often than him. She was beautiful, and so captivating, and her energy always caught the attention of all people around them. Alec was fine with it, after all he knew he couldn’t commit to anyone on a deeper level until he sorted out his family matters first. Obviously, he still craved the closeness of another person next to him, someone to wake up and go to sleep with, someone to bare his soul to, but at the same time he was afraid of it. Not even afraid of his heart being broken, although that would hurt a lot. More of the fact that he would be involved in a dangerous world, whether he wanted to or not, and he couldn’t possibly risk someone he loved getting hurt, or worse. 

Alec’s thoughts were interrupted by Magnus’ voice, this time speaking directly to him, which was truly an ethereal experience. 

“I don’t think we met before, my name is Magnus,” he said while extending his hand to greet Alec, and Alec cracked a surprised smile in return, but managed to get his brain working enough to return the handshake.

“R-right,” Alec stuttered and shook his head slightly before introducing himself properly to Magnus. “I’m Alec. Alec Lightwood.”

“Nice to meet you, Alec Lightwood,” Magnus said before letting go of Alec’s hand and turning to Isabelle to greet her as well. “And you must be Isabelle! Simon told me a lot about you both.”

“Only good things, I hope!” Isabelle exclaimed and smiled playfully at Simon, who returned her smile and Alec could have sworn his friend was blushing, but he didn’t comment on that. Officially, Isabelle wasn’t his sister, so she could date whoever she wanted, and he couldn’t really put up an act of being a concerned brother in front of Simon and Magnus, not to raise any suspicion. Besides, if Isabelle was to date anyone, her dating Simon, of all people, would not be the worst scenario ever. Of course, Alec felt bad about lying to his best friend about Isabelle’s real identity, but he had to protect his family, that’s what he always did, as best as he could. 

“Of course,” Simon assured Izzy and Magnus nodded in agreement. “I let him know that you can’t have a good party without the L&L!”

“L&L?” Alec repeated after Simon, visibly confused, which made Magnus and Izzy giggle.

“Lovelace and Lightwood, of course,” Simon clarified and Alec rolled his eyes, at which Simon tilted his head and sent him a smirk. “Come on, Alec, I know you love me.” 

Alec shrugged. Of course he loved Simon, but he also loved their banter, because Simon was always like an excited puppy, meanwhile Alec was like an old dog who didn’t like to be bothered and who was constantly annoyed by the young one’s yipping. But in reality, he didn’t know what he would do without Simon. 

“You’re okay, I guess,” Alec said at him, but he couldn’t keep a sly smirk off his face for long after Simon made his fake-offended face at him. 

Meanwhile, Magnus put his hand on Alec’s shoulder, as if showing sympathy, and it made Alec flinch, although he didn’t let anything on. Usually he didn’t act this way around guys he met, but it’s been a long time since he was as attracted to someone as he was to Magnus. But maybe it was just the fact that he hasn’t been with anyone for a while now? He focused so much on studying in the last semester to graduate with the best grades possible, that he almost forgot all about his social life, let alone his love life. 

“I’m curious, Alec,” Magnus spoke and Alec hummed quietly in response. “How did you end up being friends with Simon? You seem like complete opposites.”

All of them moved a couple steps further in line and they were positive they would enter the club in a few minutes or less. This gave Alec a little bit of time to think of a good response, maybe something witty that would impress Magnus, or get a laugh out of him, because from what Alec heard so far tonight, Magnus’ laughter could melt icebergs. 

“The nerdy charm is very effective,” Alec said and smiled at Magnus, who smirked right back at him. “And he was the only one in our class who mastered coding in C++ at that time, so I had to be nice to him if I wanted to get some tutoring sessions for free.”

At that remark, in addition to Simon’s hilarious expression, Magnus laughed out loud, exposing the flawless skin of his neck and two rows of perfect white teeth. After a while, making fun of Simon has become a running joke within the four of them, even Simon himself was in on it, as right as they were about to go through the door into the club, he joked about how he always turned invisible to both guys and girls when he walked into the club.

Alec remembered Simon came to college with a girlfriend, but not even a few months later he was looking for a new lab partner, because the girl dropped him for a Medicine major. Ever since then he dated a few people every now and then, but he was always more dedicated to his studies than those relationships, hence why eventually they all ended on a very low note. 

After they walked into the club, Alec’s ears immediately regretted their own existence. He was always a bit more sensitive to loud noises than his friends, therefore being in such a loud place always made his head hurt. However, the music was good, and Alec actually thought he might have a good time tonight, for his last night as a free man. 

“Magnus and I are gonna find us a good booth, you guys go get drinks, okay?” Isabelle said and grabbed Magnus’ arm to lead him to her favorite part of the club, in the corner near the dancefloor, a place seemingly hidden, but with a good spot for watching other people dancing. Alec gestured at Simon and they both made their way to the bar to order drinks. 

The show of lights filled up every corner of the club, a mixture of pink and purple, with some dark red intervals every now and then, when the entire club got a bit darker, and people were getting even more freaky on the dancefloor. While walking towards the bar, Alec already bumped into two couples, passionately making out and not minding anyone who wanted to pass them. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, while Simon managed to now walk side by side with him.

“You and Magnus seem to have hit it off!” Simon had to raise his voice because the music was too loud to have a normal conversation. “I knew you’d like him. I think it’s quite impossible not to.”

Alec nodded. There was something about Magnus that just sucked you in. Once you saw him, you immediately wanted to be liked by him, to get closer to him, to get to know him. And Alec definitely wasn’t immune to his charm. 

“Yeah,” he replied. “He seems really cool. Any idea what he would like to drink? We forgot to ask, but I know that Izzy loves pink lemonade vodka, what about Magnus?”

Simon thought about it for a bit, trying to remember if his friend ever told him his favorite alcoholic beverage. “I think he likes margaritas, so let’s try that. Worst case scenario we walk back here again to order something else, no biggie.” 

While waiting for their drinks, Alec took a better look at the DJ, to see if it was anyone he recognized, but this time it was neither Aline, Helen, nor Bat. It was quite an attractive blonde guy in a dark, long-sleeve shirt, which made Alec frown. Usually DJs were the first ones to get sweaty at the club, so they never wore anything other than a T-shirt or a crop top, but this guy seemed perfectly comfortable the way he was. The DJ lifted his gaze and his eyes met Alec’s for a very brief moment, but then he turned his attention back to his console, and Alec was startled by the bartender serving them their drinks, so he jumped a bit, however not enough to get any reaction from Simon, thank God. 

“There you go, friends,” the bartender said as she put the drinks on the bar in front of them. “Enjoy.”

“Thanks, Maia,” Simon said in response and grabbed two glasses, a gin and tonic for himself, and a pink lemonade vodka for Isabelle, while Alec grabbed his own coke with rum and Magnus’ margarita. “Late shift again?”

“Yeah.” Maia sighed in response. She looked really tired. After all, she was still going to college while also simultaneously working, that must have been really exhausting for her. “The boss is kicking my ass for missing a few days during the exam session. I told him that I’ll make up for it eventually, but he demanded for it to be immediately. What can I say, Valentine Morgensterm isn’t known for his heart of gold.” 

“Yeah, that’s what I heard as well,” Simon said and sent Maia a sympathetic smile. Alec was looking at both of them like he was watching a tennis game, but in the end he couldn’t help but smirk. 

Maia and Simon enjoyed a few more minutes of a very nice but also extremely oblivious conversation, and when Maia was called by another client and Simon and Alec started making their way back to look for the booth where Isabelle and Magnus were at, Alec couldn’t stop smiling sheepishly at his friend.

“What?” Simon asked in confusion and Alec let out a laugh.

“Nothing,” he said. “You two are just so… stupid. I see the way you look at her, and I can assure you, she looks at you the same way. Why don’t you go for it?” 

Simon let out a huff. “Okay, Mister “Magnus-seems-really-cool”. Why don’t  _ you _ go for it?” He raised his eyebrows at his friend and he expected Alec’s smile to be immediately wiped off his face, but his cheeks just turned a bit red and he looked towards the booth where Izzy and Magnus were sitting.

“Maybe I will.” Alec replied while locking eyes with Magnus, and Simon just shook his head with a smile. 

* * *

After an hour of drinking, dancing, and laughing their hearts out, Simon, Izzy, Alec, and Magnus were still going strong with no intention of finishing their night early. They were all a bit tipsy already, but nothing beyond control. However, they were a bit tired already, so they decided to sit down for a longer while and just enjoy drinks and some lovely conversation that’s been going on the entire evening. 

Magnus was a great addition to their trio. He meshed with each of them perfectly, he was indeed a life of the party. After a few drinks, Alec was even more in awe of Magnus than before. 

As another half an hour passed, at some point Isabelle’s phone started buzzing and she saw it was actually her father calling her, which he never really did unless he had something important to say, hence why Isabelle stood up and excused herself to go and answer the phone in the bathroom where it was more quiet. 

“Everything okay, Iz?” Alec wanted to make sure his sister was fine, but she nodded and then immediately frowned before she left the room. When she didn’t come back after ten minutes, Alec decided to search for her.

He made his way through the crowd to get to the ladies’ bathroom, catching some weird looks from the women standing around the door leading to the toilet. He glanced around, but he saw no sign of Isabelle anywhere near, therefore he decided to go look for her outside the club. When he opened the door, he noticed she was standing there and apparently having quite a heated discussion with their father. Her back was facing Alec, so she didn’t see him walk out of the club or walking up closer to her.

“You can’t do this, dad!” She exclaimed and Alec frowned, but still didn’t let her know that he’s there. He kept his distance enough to hear what she was saying, though. “And you called me to do what? To  _ prepare _ Alec for having his life ruined? He’s already miserable because you’re forcing him to join your business, and now you want to marry him off like a piece of meat?”

Alec’s face fell and he felt his chest tighten up. “Isabelle?” He said and she turned to him abruptly because he startled her so much.

“Fuck!” She exclaimed through gritted teeth and quickly ended the call with their father. “Alec, I… I tried to talk him out of it…”

“They want me to get married?” Alec asked bitterly and clenched his hands into fists until his knuckles went white. He was pretty sure his fingernails were digging into his skin, but at that point he didn’t care about the pain or the discomfort he would feel a day after when he tried to grab something with his wounded hand. “To whom?” 

Alec studied Isabelle’s expression very carefully, and she seemed incredibly distressed, so he tried not to raise her voice at her. In the end it wasn’t her fault at all, it was their parents who had to mess with his life as always. At this point Alec just felt helpless. He couldn’t make a move without their parents’ approval, because even if he wanted to cut ties with them, he couldn’t do it because he would be leaving everything on Isabelle’s shoulders, and he didn’t want her to suffer as well. If Alec was gone, their parents sure wouldn’t be satisfied with her being just a socialite, so he served as a sort of a meat shield for her. She tried to reciprocate that protection she received from him, but in the end she was powerless against their parents just as Alec was. 

“He said her name is Lydia. They’re bringing her to New York tomorrow, apparently she needs citizenship as fast as possible, and since you’re, as he said,  _ available _ , you two could get married.” 

_ Available. _

Alec felt like his whole world just fell apart. He just made peace with the fact that his father will never accept that his son was gay, but now he wanted to trap him in a marriage to a woman, as if he wasn’t trapped in the “family business” already?

“I tried to convince him, Alec, but I… I couldn’t.” Isabelle said sadly, not looking Alec in the eye. She felt guilty about the treatment she received from their parents in contrast to what Alec had to go through. She wished the situation was different, because for years Alec has been her only true family that she accepted and who accepted her. She didn’t think of Maryse and Robert Lightwood as family anymore. Family doesn’t do things like that to each other. “I’m so sorry.”

Alec still refused to look at his sister and wouldn’t relax his hands even for a second. Then, they both noticed Magnus walking out of the club and coming up to them cautiously.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I don’t think Simon is feeling well, we should probably get him home,” he said as he took a glance at both Alec and Isabelle in turns. “Are you guys okay?” 

Alec looked up at him and forced himself to give Magnus a little smile, but he wasn’t sure if the result was believable or not. “We’re good. Izzy,” he turned to his sister whose eyes were wet and brow furrowed. “Go and check on Simon, okay? I just need a minute to get some more air and I’ll meet you guys when the taxi comes.”

Isabelle nodded and walked back to the club, and when she was passing Alec she squeezed his arm briefly, and he put his hand on hers and gave her a little smile. Alec noticed that Magnus did not go get Simon with Izzy, instead he walked up closer to him and regarded him with a concerned stare. 

“Are you sure you’re okay, Alec?” Magnus asked and for a second Alec thought he might reach for him because he briefly lifted his hand, but he must have decided otherwise, because he immediately put it down again. “Do you wanna talk or should I fuck off?”

Alec thought about it for a moment and figured that perhaps it would be easier to talk to someone like Magnus, whom he had known for barely a couple hours. Even if he couldn’t tell him the entire truth, he just needed to vent to someone who wasn’t his sister or his best friend. So he nodded and gestured towards a bench a few meters away from the entrance to the club. The two walked and sat down in silence and Magnus was patiently waiting for Alec to initiate the conversation. 

For a while, Alec didn’t. 

“My parents are forcing me to get married,” he said eventually, and Magnus raised his eyebrows in shock.

“And you don’t like the girl?” He asked and Alec laughed in response.

“I don’t like girls, period. I don’t even know this one. But my parents owe a favor to some friends of the family in Europe, I guess, and now they’re just marrying me off. That’s… perfect. Just perfect.” Alec was more bitter than ever. He didn’t understand how he managed to find himself in this situation. What was he being punished for? He always knew he wasn’t a good person, but did he really deserve this?

Maybe he did. 

Magnus was listening to him talking without saying a word. He was just letting him vent and that’s exactly what Alec needed. He expected some kind of judgement coming from the guy, but what he got was absolute acceptance and compassion, and that’s something he wasn’t exactly used to from people other than Simon or Izzy. 

It was a relief.

Alec could just keep talking and talking and he didn’t see any hint of annoyance in Magnus, quite the opposite even. So he talked. He expertly managed to avoid the part about his family being criminals, he didn’t reveal that Isabelle was actually his sister, and in general he was proud of himself for keeping his composure. 

“Wow,” Magnus said when Alec finished talking. He was staring intently at Alec, whose cheeks were a bit red, he was guessing it was from the intensity of his speech. Alec bared his soul to Magnus and Magnus felt that he had to offer his best guidance in return. “It might sound crazy, but I actually have to say I can relate to most of the things you just said. How I see it, you’re an amazing, kind person, trapped in a world you never asked to be a part of in the first place.”

Alec shrugged.

“It’s not like I can do anything about it. My parents provide for me, they bought me my apartment, they send me money every month, I don’t know if I could make a life for myself without them,” he said and bit his lip. “Besides, toxic or not, they’re still my family. I was brought up in a way that the word actually means something.”

Magnus nodded, still unconvinced. He was trying to find a way to make Alec believe that he deserved his own life, not the one that his parents were trying to make for him. 

“But are you sure it means as much to them as to you?” He asked and Alec exhaled heavily but remained silent, simply staring into Magnus’ eyes, trying to comprehend what he said, because deep down he knew Magnus was right. He knew he should just make a life for himself, just like he did all these years when his parents were gone. They were fine, just together with Isabelle, so maybe he could do it again, this time on his own terms. 

He sent Magnus a soft smile, but didn’t want to keep talking about himself anymore.

“So, Magnus, I basically told you my whole life story,” he spoke and Magnus chuckled and looked down at his hands, anticipating what Alec was about to say next. “I think it’s only fair if you tell me something about yourself?” 

Alec smiled at Magnus as he was looking at him patiently but also trying to encourage him to actually share something as well, as he didn’t want to be the only loser who just blurted whatever was on his mind to someone he met a couple hours ago. 

Somehow, sitting there outside Pandemonium, talking to Magnus like they’ve known each other for years, made Alec a bit less anxious about what he was supposed to face tomorrow. Perhaps Magnus gave him strength to meet his parents with his head held high and actually give himself a go at convincing them that he deserves to live his own life and make his own choices. Because even if he didn’t believe he was worthy of a chance, someone else did. Someone he didn’t even know his last name of. 

Magnus looked as if he was looking for the right words just like Alec was before he started telling his life story to him. Maybe Magnus also had some things he couldn’t tell Alec. Maybe he also had someone to protect. Alec knew the feeling, therefore he waited patiently, even though the air was getting a bit cool around them. 

“When I told you I can relate to your situation,” Magnus started speaking. “I wasn’t lying or trying to comfort you. I have a… complicated relationship with my family. When my mother passed away last year, I was devastated… But my father couldn’t be any less bothered, all he cares about after all is his job. I couldn’t stand being around him, so I paused my studies and went to Indonesia, to stay with my mom’s sister and some of my cousins.”

Magnus looked up at Alec for the first time since he started speaking, fully expecting him to judge him for just taking off and putting his life on pause like that, sort of wasting the opportunity to live it, while Alec could not get the same opportunity. But what he saw in Alec’s eyes was sadness. 

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that, Magnus,” Alec said and gently put his hand on Magnus’, and Magnus did not reject it. Usually he didn’t like being comforted, but somehow this compassion coming from Alec was something he didn’t even know he was missing. “Why did you come back?” 

“I didn’t want to become a burden for my aunt.” Magnus admitted and smiled sadly. “She had enough on her plate as it was, even without me in the mix. Besides, my entire life was in New York, I refused to just abandon it for good.”

Alec’s stare was intense, it really seemed like he was trying to understand Magnus as best as he could, seemed like he actually  _ cared, _ and did not just ask him about it to be nice or to repay him for his kindness.

“So now I’m here, still have one more college year until I can get my degree, I don’t even know what I’m gonna do after that. But I still think I did the right thing, spending a year in Indonesia. It helped me mourn and I think I can finally tell I’m beginning to heal.” Magnus concluded and Alec shook his head, amazed, and squeezed Magnus’ hand harder, probably harder than he should have, but Magnus didn’t mind. 

“What’s your major?” Alec asked.

“Law. I wanna be a barrister.” Magnus explained with a smile. “That way I can help people who are a bit less fortunate in life than I am, because there’s just so much I’m still grateful for.” 

“Magnus, you’re…” Alec drew a long breath and held it in for a while. “Incredible.”

And with that, he moved his hand from Magnus’ wrist to his face and started leaning in, staring at Magnus’ lips hungrily. Suddenly, for Alec the whole world stopped, it was just him and Magnus, who was quite possibly the most amazing human being he’s ever met. From the first look at him he knew that he might not be able to stop himself from falling for him, and it seemed like his assumptions were very much correct. As he was getting closer, Magnus grabbed Alec’s wrist gently, but moved his head back to stop Alec from kissing him. Alec immediately withdrew and looked at the floor next to him, blushing deeply. 

“Magnus, I… I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to assume stuff. I’m sorry.” He said hurriedly, as Magnus put his hands on his shoulder in attempts to get that eye contact back, but Alec was too embarrassed to look at him, so he just stared at his feet instead, and his hands were desperately clutching the bench. 

“Alexander…” Alec forgot that during his long monologue about his life he gave Magnus his full name, therefore him actually using it startled him and he immediately looked back up and into Magnus’ eyes. He thought Magnus was going to be mad, because he might not even be into men and Alec just ruined his entire view of gay men. “I’m not rejecting you because I don’t like men, cause I’m actually bisexual, and trust me, you’re extremely attractive. I’m rejecting you because I’m seeing someone… And I’ve always been one soul at a time kind of guy. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression tonight, but I hope we can move past that. It feels so good to talk to you, I don’t wanna lose that.”

“Yes, that’s all I want,” Alec said, extremely relieved. Magnus didn’t hate him, he wasn’t repulsed by him, he still wanted to talk to him. He didn’t know one could feel so light after just getting rejected. It still hurt, because for a second Alec hoped that maybe Magnus will be some kind of a miracle to him, that someone he’s been dreaming of, that someone he wants to wake up and go to sleep next to. But he had to accept that the world didn’t revolve around him and not everyone was sent his way to be his savior. 

Besides, he was going to meet his future bride tomorrow. 

After the awkwardness of Alec’s rejection faded, they headed back to the club together, as Simon and Isabelle seemed to have not come out yet. When they returned to their booth, they saw Simon looking pale as seven hells, but still smiling while talking to Maia, who was probably on her break, and Isabelle scrolling through her phone while drinking another pink lemonade vodka. 

“So,” Magnus said when he sat down in the booth next to Izzy. “We’re not going home after all?” 

Isabelle visibly relaxed when she saw Alec was standing there too, with a smile on his face, even though she had to give him the worst news imaginable. 

“If you guys are fine with it, Simon and I would like to stay,” she said in response and then giggled, pointing at Simon absolutely smitten by Maia’s presence. “Especially Simon. He puked his guts out and it seems like he’s fine now. I ordered you guys another round as well. Alec?”

“Yeah, we should stay. Let’s have some fun.” He said as he sat down opposite of Isabelle and Magnus and grabbed Izzy’s glass from her hand to taste her drink, only to wince in dismay. He forgot he hated fruity drinks. He handed the glass back to Izzy immediately and waited patiently for their drinks to arrive. 

They spent another half an hour drinking, and then they went back onto the dancefloor. Alec glanced at the DJ station again, but this time he saw a familiar face back there - Helen. He waved at her and she immediately waved back and started beaming. She was one of Alec’s friends as well, but he didn’t see her very often. Between college, DJing, and hanging out with her girlfriend, Aline, Helen didn’t have much time for other things. 

Only seconds later the song changed, and Alec recognized the tune of his absolutely favorite club song, “Move like you stole it” by ZZ Ward. He looked up once again at Helen, who winked at him and went back to mixing. With the amount of alcohol he drank and his favorite song blasting in his ears, Alec was just beginning to have fun. He started dancing his heart out, smiling to himself as he closed his eyes and let himself be moved by the rhythm of the song. 

Then, he felt two hands grabbing his hips softly and someone’s lips delicately kissing his neck from behind. He moaned and reached for the intruder with his left hand. He ran it through the guy’s hair and they both began to dance together in sync. 

“I saw you looking at me the whole night,” the guy said in British accent and Alec chuckled. 

“And you decided to wait until I’m wasted to make your move?” He said and turned around to face the man he was dancing with. He gasped.

“Well, in my defense, I was quite busy,” said the guy who turned out to be the blonde DJ Alec was observing a while ago. He was right, Alec  _ was  _ looking at him the entire night, especially after he got rejected by Magnus. “So will you let me buy you a drink as an apology…?” 

Alec shook his head, but wrapped his arms around the guy’s neck and moved closer to him until his mouth was only inches away from the DJ’s. 

“Pass,” he said and the guy looked visibly discouraged, but Alec soon continued in a seductive tone. “How about we skip the small talk and just go to your place?”

The guy laughed and kissed Alec’s neck which made him shiver. He made his way up to Alec’s ear and nibbled on it. Alec brought his hands to the guy’s face and guided him towards his lips, which he then began kissing passionately and let his hands wander to Alec’s hips again while they swayed together, now a bit less to the rhythm of the song. 

After the song ended, they made their way to the exit, but Alec was stopped in the middle of the dancefloor by Isabelle and Magnus.

“Alec? Where are you going?” Izzy asked with worry written all over her face. Alec glanced at her and then at Magnus, who also seemed worried and suspicious of Alec’s new companion, but Alec was definitely too…  _ impatient _ to care. 

“Don’t worry, Izzy, I’ll be okay, I’m with…” He looked at the DJ and his eyes must have had big question marks in them cause the guy just chuckled and waved at Izzy and Magnus.

“Sebastian,” he introduced himself. “Sebastian Verlac.”

“Yes,” Alec said. “So, I’m going home with Sebastian Verlac, and I don’t wanna hear one comment about it. Have a good night.”

Alec talked like a very drunk guy, but the reality was he wasn’t as drunk as it seemed. Yes, obviously he wasn’t entirely sober, because who would be after the amount of alcohol he drank, but him going home with Sebastian was not just a drunken antic of his - it was more him going out with a bang,  _ literally _ , since it was the last night when he could be relatively free. 

And even if he couldn’t have the person he truly wanted, there was no way he was gonna go home himself. 

_ Not tonight. _

* * *

After Alec left the club with Sebastian and left everyone speechless, Magnus suddenly didn’t feel like partying anymore, but he couldn’t tell why. When they returned to the booth, Isabelle looked extremely worried, and Simon seemed preoccupied with trying to pluck up the courage to ask Maia out. Seemed like no one really felt like staying there any longer.

“So,” Magnus was the first one to break the silence. “I think I’m gonna go home, my headache is killing me. Are you guys gonna be okay? Should I wait here while you’re getting a taxi?”

Magnus didn’t live far away from the club, therefore he didn’t even bother getting a taxi or an Uber, there was no point. And walking for a bit and getting some fresh air would definitely be good for his headache, as it was actually killing him, it wasn’t just an excuse to leave the club. 

“No, it’s okay,” Izzy told him with a smile. “You should go home, Magnus. A taxi shouldn’t take too long to get here anyway.” 

“Okay then.” Magnus stood up, gathered his things, finished his drink and said his goodbyes to Isabelle and Simon. “See you guys soon, okay? We definitely have to do this again.”

“Of course we do!” Simon exclaimed and Izzy waved Magnus goodbye.

When Magnus left the club, he still couldn’t get the pounding out of his head. Normally he didn’t have any problem with club music, and right now he suspected it wasn’t the case either. 

His main ailment tonight was Alec Lightwood. 

He was a stranger who appeared in Magnus’ life when quite frankly Magnus has basically given up on trusting new people. But seeing Alec open up to him, being so vulnerable in front of a stranger, it made him want to give something in return. And Magnus would be lying if he said it didn’t feel good. Sitting outside the club with Alec might have actually been the best part of Magnus’ night.

Right until the end, when Alec tried to kiss him and Magnus had to reject him. He wasn’t a cheater. His relationship with Camille might have been pure fiction at this point, but they were still together, and Magnus couldn’t do it to someone, even if that someone most certainly did it to him.

Magnus found out Camille has been constantly texting someone in secret, sneaking out at night, presumably to see the person she’s been texting, but when he confronted her about it, she told him that even if she was cheating, he couldn’t really blame her because he ran away like a coward and was gone for the entire year.

Perhaps that was true. When things get tough, Magnus runs away. And maybe going to Indonesia was not only him running away from his father and his lack of sympathy towards Magnus after he lost his mother, but it was also him running away from Camille because their relationship was in shreds. He could’ve broken up with her, but he never had the courage to do it first. Camille constantly tried to convince him he needed her.

But tonight, being with Alec Lightwood made Magnus aware of how  _ actually _ needing someone felt. 

But sadly, that someone was now in the arms of another guy, and it was all Magnus’ fault. He didn’t stop Alec from leaving with Sebastian, he didn’t make a move, he didn’t say a word. And Sebastian was a complete stranger.

_ So am I, _ Magnus thought bitterly and picked up the pace to be home sooner. He had to stop thinking about the possibility of Alec being in danger, because in the end he wasn’t anyone special to him. They met, they talked, it was epic, but in the end Magnus rejected him. He had no right to worry about him, no right to try and stop him from doing what he wants, especially knowing his family situation and what his parents want him to do.

Alexander Lightwood deserved a goddamn hero. And Magnus was just a coward.

He walked faster and faster, trying to quiet his mind with exhaustion, when suddenly a car drove up to him and stopped in front of him. He stopped, but then tried to walk past the black SUV, however, when he moved, it moved as well.

Magnus started panicking. He was still quite tipsy and he wasn’t thinking clearly, so his reactions were much slower than usual. He didn’t see who was driving the car because the windows were all too dark to see through, and when he thought he was finally able to walk past the car, he started running but then he felt an electric shock go through his entire body, and he realized he was just treated with a taser. It went on for a few good seconds and when Magnus finally fell to the ground, he was terrified.

He wanted to move, he wanted to scream, but he couldn’t do either of those things, it was like his body didn’t listen to him anymore, like it wasn’t his. 

Magnus wondered if that was how he would meet his end. His mind was still sound, so his thoughts wandered to his late mother, to his family in Indonesia, to his soulless father, to Camille, to Simon, Isabelle,  _ Alec... _ He wanted to think that someone would come to his rescue, but it was dark and there was not a soul in sight on this particular street.

Maybe everything was catching up to him. All his running, not being honest with his feelings, his cowardice… Did he deserve it?

That was his last thought before he felt his body being dragged into the black SUV. He felt a solid, blunt hit to the head and suddenly he couldn’t think or even feel anything anymore, he was just surrounded by darkness. 

Nothing but darkness. And all of the sudden he knew what being alone felt like. 

How it felt like needing someone. 

  
  
  
  
  



	2. Crossfire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, everyone! 
> 
> First of all, I wanna thank you for the tremendous response to the first chapter, honestly I would never expect you guys to like it so much and leave so many comments both here and on Twitter! It makes me so happy to see your guys' reactions!
> 
> I'm back here with chapter two, and as always I'd like to thank my girlfriend @malecsmercy for all her brilliant ideas that help make this fic what it is. (and also for inspiring me to bring you guys pain. so. much. pain. ;)
> 
> If you'd like, you could live-tweet the chapter, remember to put #EquinoxFic tag in your tweets so I will see them for sure! If you need to yell at someone, I'm also available @sylightwood. 
> 
> So, once again, without further ado, chapter 2. ♥

_ “There are so many ways of being despicable it quite makes one’s head spin. But the way to be really despicable is to be contemptuous of other people’s pain.” _

_ - _ James Baldwin

* * *

Alec woke up to the sound of the kettle and a hand gently patting him on the shoulder. He opened his eyes, and froze for a good second before he was able to take in the sight of a strange studio apartment he had found himself at and a smiling blonde man standing in front of him and handing him a cup of coffee. It smelled absolutely divine, and Alec wasn’t even that much of a coffee person. He could also smell a faint sweet scent of… pancakes? He sat up on the sofa and exhaled heavily, rubbing his eyes with his left hand and reaching for the cup with the right one. When he grabbed it he felt a slight burning sensation, as it was his habit to avoid mug handles at all costs - which obviously resulted in quite a few burn marks every now and then. 

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Sebastian said with a smile and walked over to the window to crack it open and let some refreshing morning air in. Then he turned towards Alec once again, rested his back on the windowsill and crossed his arms, regarding Alec with a smirk. “I’d offer to make you an English breakfast, but that’s reserved for those who actually had their midnight English  _ snack _ .”

“Sebastian, I… I’m really sorry about last night.” Alec looked up at Sebastian, whose hair was glistening in the morning sun. Alec thought he was actually kind of beautiful. He had nice facial features and a good posture, and yet despite that, Alec could not go through with what he started at the club. He just couldn’t have a random one night stand with a guy he just met. He wanted to laugh at the irony of that, since there was another person he met last night and after a few hours or so he was ready for anything and everything Magnus would throw at him.

“Relax,” Sebastian said and walked over to the kitchen island to grab a plate of waffles he must have prepared before he woke Alec up. He carried it to the little table set in the middle of the room and gestured at Alec to join him, to which he obliged. “I’m not angry or anything, don’t worry. I’m not even sure I’m surprised, I mean, a guy like you, going home with some random dude… Something didn’t add up. Then I saw your friends and I knew. So, which one is it - the cute one, the gorgeous one, or… the girl?” 

Alec felt blood rushing to his cheeks, but he tried to play it cool, so he grabbed a fork, reached for the waffles and laughed nervously - the nervousness wasn’t part of Alec’s plan. “What do you mean?”

“Oh please,” Sebastian said, chewing on a waffle he just bit into. “I saw your face after we left the club. If you hadn’t been drunk you would’ve just sprinted back in.” 

“Okay,” Alec said and sighed, admitting his defeat. “You’re not wrong. It’s Magnus- or,  _ the gorgeous one _ , as you called him. He just… Kind of took my breath away? I tried to kiss him, but turns out he’s dating someone.”

Sebastian chuckled. “Ah, I’ve been there before, yeah. You’ll get over it, trust me. People usually get tired of chasing unattainable things after a while. Unless you want to compete with whoever Magnus is dating? Which is fine, don’t get me wrong-”

“Nah.” Alec shook his head and smiled sadly. “I’m sure he’s happy, and in the end that’s all I want. No need to make a mess out of his life and mine.” 

He suddenly remembered his parents, the woman they were bringing home, or even probably already brought home, about the fact that soon enough he’s gonna become a criminal like Robert and Maryse… He couldn’t help but think how stupid he was last night to even think something could happen between him and Magnus on a bigger scale. Maybe if Magnus was single, they would have gone home together, maybe even had a one night stand, but Alec definitely didn’t trust himself enough to do it without catching any sort of feelings. Hell, he was already starting to catch them even though Magnus had rejected him. But even if something did happen, what future could Magnus possibly have with him? None. That’s why Alec was ready to give up, in fact, he already did. 

By the time Alec looked back up at Sebastian, the guy had already finished his breakfast, and he was now grabbing both his and Alec’s dishes to put them in the sink. He seemed lost in thought, but for about a minute he didn’t say a word, while Alec regarded him warily, squinting his eyes and pressing his lips in a thin line.

Then, Sebastian turned around abruptly, put his hands on his hips and said:

“You want my advice?” Alec nodded in response. “You’re young, you’re extremely hot, and more importantly than that you seem like a good person. Maybe don’t go overboard with all those crazy conspiracy theories that the whole universe is against you and you don’t deserve happiness. Let yourself feel, Alec, even if it hurts you.”

Alec blinked repeatedly and looked away, almost as if Sebastian’s words were actually hurting him. It was true, he never believed he deserved good things in life. Ever since he was a kid - and that was a long time ago. He spent  _ years _ hating himself, and one pep talk from a stranger definitely wouldn’t change everything, but maybe it was a start? 

He absent-mindedly reached for his phone, but then he realized he had left it at home when him and Isabelle were leaving for the party.  _ Damn it _ , he thought. In a brief surge of confidence and willingness to put all his family matters aside he wanted to text Simon and get Magnus’ number, but apparently it really wasn’t meant to be. Alec didn’t know if he would have enough courage to do that after he came back home, not with all the pressure from Robert and Maryse and his future wife waiting for him in the hall. 

Meanwhile, Sebastian gathered his keys, his phone, his bag and his jacket and walked towards the front door of his apartment. 

“I’m already late so I gotta run,” he said while opening the door. “Feel free to stay as long as you like, the door should lock itself if you pull it hard enough. I left you my phone number on the counter, if you ever need anything, call me. I promise I’ll try not to sound disappointed if you don’t call me for a booty call.” He winked and chuckled softly, then walked out and closed the door behind him. Alec heard his footsteps as he ran down the stairs. 

Alec smirked. Sebastian was definitely too nice for his own good. First Alec tried to seduce him at the club, then refused to hook up with him, and then the guy still made him breakfast and gave him some actually good advice. Alec thought he could be a psychopath, or a serial killer, but he definitely preferred the version where Sebastian was just a genuinely nice person.

After fifteen minutes or so, as Alec was about to leave Sebastian’s place, he heard incessant knocking at the door. He hesitated for a little while, but when the knocking became even louder, he decided to open the door. When he did, his jaw nearly dropped open.

“Izzy?” Alec said incredulously. Isabelle was probably the last person he expected to see leaving Sebastian’s apartment. “What are you doing here- how did you know where Sebastian lives?”

“Simon pulled some strings, and by that I mean he begged Maia to tell him. It was not pretty,” Isabelle smirked and Alec couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “On the other hand, it seems to have landed him a date, so I don’t think he’s all that willing to complain.”

“Sorry I left like that,” Alec said. “I was not really having the best night ever, and-”

“And you needed to get laid, ooh, what a shocker.” Izzy rolled her eyes, and Alec sighed in response. He knew Izzy was a firm supporter of him hooking up with random dudes, but at this point he thought she would know better. Alec is too much of an overthinker for that. “Although, with your overthinking and constant self-deprecation… Let me guess… You bailed last minute and he didn’t want you to go home in the middle of the night cause he’s a decent dude so you just stayed over like an awkward dude you are. Am I right?”

“No!” Alec scoffed, offended. “We had hot sex all night. On the floor, on the bed, in the shower…”

Izzy moved closer to her brother.

“Must’ve been some weak ass shower, since you still smell like booze.” She smirked and jokingly punched Alec’s shoulder.

Alec groaned and rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine! Nothing happened. I’m a disaster who can’t even have a one night stand. Happy?”

“Not really. Now you’re gonna be even more unbearable.” Isabelle shrugged, but then her smile faded and she started walking towards the door. “I’m sorry, Alec, but we gotta go. They’re at home, they told me to get you.” 

Alec gulped. At this particular moment, wandering the streets of New York definitely seemed like a better idea than facing his parents, but he also knew that if they sent Izzy to go and bring him home, not obeying their orders would actually bring more harm than good, especially for his younger sister, whom he was still desperate to keep away from the entire family mess. 

That’s why he grabbed Sebastian’s phone number from the counter and followed Isabelle out, making sure the door to the apartment actually locked itself properly. After he heard a click, he rushed down the stairs and towards a very uncertain future.

He willed away all his thoughts about last night, about Simon, his dream job, his perfect imaginary future…  _ Magnus _ . The last thing was significantly harder to get rid of than the rest, but Alec knew he had to do it. He knew that the second he sets foot back in his apartment, he will have to put on the greatest performance of his life. Every second of every day, for God knows how long. 

And unfortunately, Alec has never been a good actor. 

* * *

The first rays of sunlight tore into the room, highlighting little particles of dust in the air that were flying high to the ceiling to sit on the huge crystal chandelier, covering its weirdly multi-color sparkle. The warmth of pastel yellow wallpaper brought back some memories Magnus has been trying to recover for years now. Right underneath the chandelier stood a big, mahogany dining table with four matching chairs, and on top of it there was a simple yet beautiful centerpiece made of a bunch of violets and some green grass in a little white flower pot in the shape of a cylinder, with silver and black hearts painted on it. He remembered his mother always liked making new decorations, and he would recognize her work anywhere even from the sole look of the craft, but on top of that, she always drew a little cat face on the bottom of each of her creations as a signature. 

“Mom.” Magnus whispered and felt the sudden urge to walk forward and grab the centerpiece from the table, but as he tried to take a step, he winced in pain - he felt like his head was going to crack open, and suddenly he couldn’t see the yellow walls anymore, no more table or chairs, or the centerpiece. He used the last strain of power to look up at the chandelier, but instead of sunlight illuminating it and the dust that covered it, he just saw a black hole, so willing to consume him and so inevitable in nature, that Magnus just closed his eyes and embraced it. 

After what seemed like hours, Magnus heard some voices, but even though he thought he opened his eyes, everything was a blur and he couldn’t tell even a single detail of his surroundings. He slowly began to remember the events of the previous night - he was at the club with Simon, he met his friends, Isabelle and Alec, they drank a lot and Magnus went home, or at least that’s what he thought. He was struggling to recall all the details, but no matter what happened, he did not end up back at his apartment. All he knew for now was the intense pain in the back of his head and the burning sensation in his nose and throat. Magnus swallowed hard and tried to move his hands to rub his itching eyes, but he realized his wrists were tied up. 

“You brought him  _ here _ ?” A woman’s voice echoed through the room. “You’re deluded. His father is gonna look for him, and you brought him here? Damn it, we’re supposed to live in this house, our children too!”

“They’re not kids anymore!” Magnus heard a man hiss and he frowned. He opened his eyes to see the people who were apparently keeping him hostage, but he realized something was obscuring his view, as he felt the soft fabric rubbing on his eyelids as he moved. “Don’t you realize this might be our only chance to bring Bane down? I’m not gonna let you ruin it with some deranged ideas that now that we’re back here we’ll be getting a white picket fence and drinking tea on the porch.”

_ Bane?  _

Magnus’ heart dropped. He fought for so long not to have anything to do with Asmodeus and his business, and now despite everything, he was being dragged into it involuntarily anyway, getting kidnapped by some of his enemies. Magnus knew Asmodeus didn’t have many friends in New York. Most of his contacts and allies actually came from foreign markets such as England, Eastern Europe, or East Asia, where he was from. Here, on Magnus’ home turf, all he ever heard of was Asmodeus’ enemies - the Morgensterns, the Starkweathers, the Herondales… And probably many more. Asmodeus Bane wasn’t the type of person to believe in alliances, and since the business he was doing was not exactly legal, he constantly had to look back over his shoulder, because one anonymous tip to the police would get him on the hook and he wouldn’t be able to keep the whole thing going. 

Magnus heard what seemed like a scuffle between the man and the woman. The former seemed very aggressive, and even though Magnus definitely shouldn’t feel sympathetic towards his kidnappers, he found himself feeling it for that woman he didn’t even know the identity of. He assumed they were a couple, probably married, with children, but the power structure of this relationship was clear - the husband was definitely the dominant one, and the wife seemed to be afraid of him, at least that’s what Magnus could read between the lines without seeing their facial expressions or body language. 

To an outsider, it might seem ridiculous that in a situation like this, getting kidnapped, Magnus managed to regain his composure within minutes after he woke up, and that instead of looking for a way out he was analysing the relationship within his kidnappers, but a few years of law school taught him to always keep a cool head. What is more, Magnus knew that the disadvantage like the one he was at right now wouldn’t allow him to break out of there with pure brute force - instead he had to gather as much information as he could and use his brain to figure out the way out of this situation. 

However, to say that he was panicking deeply on the inside would not be an understatement. Being deprived of the sense of sight caused Magnus’ pulse to quicken, a panic attack waiting right around the corner to catch him off guard if he ever allows himself a moment of vulnerability. 

“Don’t forget,” the man spoke again which made Magnus flinch. “It wouldn’t take me much effort to pay a visit to the bastard you left with your parents in London.”

“Max is just a child. He’s  _ our _ child.” The woman replied angrily and with that Magnus heard her yelp, so he assumed the man must have grabbed her by the throat, and as much as Magnus cursed himself for feeling this way, he tried his absolute best not to try and run to her rescue. 

“That’s what I thought for the first couple years of his life, before I found out you’ve been fucking my best friend behind my back!” The husband growled and it was in that moment that Magnus realized he kept all his muscles so tight that it started feeling like one big neverending cramp. 

His feet moved involuntarily and he heard a rattle of the chains he just realized were wrapped around his ankles keeping them tied tightly together. Magnus’ heart dropped to the floor and no matter how hard he’s been trying to keep his composure, when he heard footsteps shuffling towards him hurriedly, his breath quickened and he started panicking. Suddenly, he was ripped out of the uncomfortable yet familiar darkness and brought to reality, where after a few seconds of being blinded by the white lights on the ceiling, he noticed two faces staring at him intently. The woman was frowning, she seemed concerned and perhaps a little sad, but the man had a sly smile spread across his face. Magnus thought they could be the same age as his father. The man was of average height, quite well-built, with a reasonable amount of facial hair, but a bald head, and his wife was a little bit taller than him, she had long, straight, dark hair. She was really beautiful, and behind her eyes Magnus saw a certain amount of sadness. 

“Well, well, well…” The man hummed with a smirk while leaning over Magnus, which made Magnus sick to his stomach. He was breathing heavily, but the huge lump in his throat didn’t allow him to say a word. “Look what we have here. You woke up, that’s perfect.” 

He patted Magnus on the right cheek and Magnus flinched. 

“Let me go.” Magnus managed to utter and he instantly felt a sting in his throat, possibly the after-effects of last night’s party. “What do you want from me?”

The kidnapper was now at the same eye level with Magnus, whose lips formed a thin line and whose chest was moving quickly up and down. He looked down to avoid his gaze. A lazy smirk was still dancing around the man’s lips as he grabbed Magnus’ chin and forced him to look him in the eye. 

“I’m sorry,” he spoke without taking his eyes off Magnus’. “You’re not the one asking questions here.” 

The entire situation made Magnus think back to last night - to the conversation he had with Alec and how for the first time in a long while he actually felt free. He allowed himself to open up to a complete stranger, to risk saying something he shouldn’t,  _ feeling _ something he shouldn’t, and it felt almost funny to him how quickly he was being punished for that moment of weakness when Alec Lightwood managed to tear down the walls Magnus built around his heart. Deep down Magnus knew right away that he didn’t deserve the kindness he received from Alec, and now, being in the situation where he had absolutely zero control over what would happen to him, and even if he makes it out of here alive, it felt like a punch in the gut by all that bad karma he gathered in the span of a single evening. 

Before diving deeper into his own thoughts, he gathered enough energy to look his kidnapper in the eye and speak, although it came off as nothing more than a whisper drifting around the darkness of the room and its echo. 

“Who are you?” 

All of a sudden the kidnapper stopped smiling and grabbed Magnus’ chin with even more force, looking into his eyes with an angry and cold stare. “Right now, I’m your worst nightmare, Magnus Bane.” 

* * *

“So, are you gonna tell me the real reason why you didn’t sleep with Sebastian?” Isabelle asked and sent Alec an amused gaze after she stopped the car because of the typical New York morning traffic jam. “What did you and Magnus talk about after I went back into the club?”

Alec glared at his sister. The fact that she always knew what was happening in his head was very frustrating, but at the same time weirdly comforting. Alec didn’t know if it was just sibling telepathy, or Isabelle’s talent, but it seemed like she had an X-ray built inside her eyes that could always see right through Alec. 

He hesitated for a second before answering Izzy’s question, but in reality he was desperate to just let it all out. To tell her everything and hope that she’d tell him he’s being crazy and he shouldn’t hope for anything to happen between them, and even if something did happen, it would mean Magnus was in danger, because that was all that Alec could offer him - a life of uncertainty. And he knew Magnus deserved so much more than that.

“I… I told him everything.” Alec said and he saw Isabelle’s smile fade quickly as she frowned and was clearly going to say something, but Alec interrupted her. “I mean, not  _ everything  _ everything. Just all that stuff about my impending marriage and about our parents trying to control my life, I promise. I left out all the details that could possibly land us a spot at a jail cell.” 

Isabelle shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and she drove forward a bit to keep up with the traffic. Her face was unreadable, and Alec wondered if perhaps for the first time in his life it was actually not such a good idea to talk his heart out to his sister. But after a few more moments of silence Isabelle looked at him again and she sent him a compassionate smile. 

“And what did he say?” She inquired.

“Well.” Alec chuckled nervously. “Honestly it was so… Refreshing. For the first time in my life I felt someone just… gets me. Except you, of course. Honestly, it kind of made me feel guilty for not telling him the whole truth. He just listened and I thought he wouldn’t get it, because even without the parts I omitted it all sounds ridiculous. But he knew all the right things to say.”

Alec didn’t even realize when he started smiling and gesturing more and more with his hands while speaking, which was the thing he did when he was genuinely excited or passionate about something. Because how could one not be passionate about  _ Magnus _ ?

“You like him, don’t you?” Isabelle nudged Alec’s arm with her elbow while smirking. He looked down to avoid her stare, because he knew she would immediately figure out the answer.

_ Screw it, _ Alec thought.

“Yeah,” he said and smiled sheepishly at his sister. “I do. I really do, like so much. I… Kind of tried to kiss him?”

“Oh my God!” Izzy almost jumped in her seat and she grabbed Alec’s elbow with her hand, beaming. “You’re telling me that  _ you _ , mister Three-Dates, made a move on a guy you  _ just  _ met? Come on, details, please!” 

Alec sighed, exasperated. “Well, I ended up with Sebastian for a reason. I don’t know. You know I don’t believe in love at first sight and all that crap, but Magnus and I… We just clicked, you know? At least that’s what I thought, but apparently he’s dating someone, so there’s that.” 

The reason might have been because Alec never learned how to deal with rejection, but in his eyes that was just as good as anything else. He didn’t want to wallow in pity because a guy he liked didn’t like him, he at least wanted to think he was better than that.

“Oh, big brother…” Izzy spoke again, with a sympathetic smile on her face, rubbing Alec’s elbow for a second before she had to change gears and start driving because the traffic jam was beginning to look more like a traffic parfait. “Just because he rejected you yesterday, doesn’t mean you’ll never see him again. Who knows, maybe once you spend more time with him you two might end up together? And even if that doesn’t happen, you don’t have to just throw him out of your life forever. After all, he’s friends with your best friend, you’re bound to cross paths with him sooner or later.” 

“Thanks, Izzy,” Alec said and smiled softly at his sister. “Ah, shit! Speaking of Simon, I should probably call him. I need my phone. Are you taking a detour?”

“Nope,” Izzy replied and shook her head, her eyes were still focused on the road. “They’re not at your place, Alec, they’re actually moving into our old house.”

Alec shuddered. They didn’t have many happy memories from that house. It was truly a beautiful place, the red brick worked gorgeously in contrast with beige marble balconies and window sills, the railing at the staircase leading to the front door was made of black metal and decorated with fancy metal flowers and leaves. Alec remembered sitting on these stairs a lot at nights when things weren’t so pretty inside of the house. He remembered one time when he was ten, with Izzy being barely eight, their parents brought home some guests from Europe and hosted a dinner for them, while him and Izzy were supposed to be upstairs. However, Izzy was beginning to feel quite sick, she had a fever and Alec was panicking, because he was just a kid, and he didn’t know how to take care of her properly. He went downstairs, but their parents were nowhere to be seen. What he saw instead, were their guests doing drugs, a lot of them, and definitely having the time of their lives. He went back upstairs, poured some cold water over a towel and put it on Izzy’s head until she fell asleep, only to be woken up by a gunshot. Without much thinking, Alec grabbed his phone and called their uncle Hodge, who told them to wait for him outside, so he brought Izzy out through the garage to avoid having her see everything that was going on downstairs. They sat on the stairs and waited for an hour for Hodge to arrive, and to this day he didn’t remember ever being as scared as he was back then. 

He was trying to do what he always did - protect his sister. Even if shielding her from all the things happening at their house meant it would leave him scarred forever. 

Isabelle kept glancing at her brother every time she could take her eyes off the road, clearly noticing he’s lost deep in thought about their childhood home. She didn’t say a word, because she knew that with Alec sometimes the best thing to do was to let him go through stuff on his own, not to trigger his anxiety and depression again. Izzy was worried that with the arrival of their parents, Alec would sink back to that bad place he’s been at for such a long time, she was scared he might become depressed again, because even if that happened, Alec was too stubborn to go to his doctor and maybe consider getting back on his meds. He always insisted he was fine and he didn’t need that anymore, but Isabelle knew some days and some situations were simply too much for him to handle, and today was probably going to be one of these days. 

“Can you drive by my apartment real quick? I need to get my phone.” Alec asked, still not looking at Izzy. He was fiddling with his fingers, cracking his knuckles and Izzy noticed he kept digging his nails into the skin of his palm. 

“Yeah, sure.” She replied, then made a quick turn to the right to enter the street that was closely connected to the street Alec lived at. “Alec, are you sure you’re up for this whole thing? You know, meeting our parents, meeting that girl… Say one word and I’ll drive the hell out of New York, maybe we could go to Los Angeles for a while, what do you think?” 

She knew she was grasping at straws, but she wanted Alec to know he still has options. Even though she was one hundred percent sure Alec would never go for it, as he knew it would put a target on their backs - their parents would never leave them alone. 

“No,” Alec said quietly and glanced briefly at Isabelle, who was just pulling over next to Alec’s apartment. “You know what, I’m tired of pretending my life is a movie. Last couple years have been fun, but let’s face it, I’m not a hero, I’m not gonna have a hero moment and break away from the chains. Sadly, our family is a curse I’m afraid I can’t overcome. Now, let’s have coffee before we actually go there, okay? Can you grab me a red eye from the coffee shop down the street while I’m getting my phone?”

Isabelle looked sternly at her brother, she clearly wanted to say something, but instead she nodded and Alec jumped out of the car and walked quickly to the door of his apartment building. 

Izzy cursed under her breath, as she grabbed her purse from the back seat, got out of the car and locked it, then she headed for Alec’s favorite coffee shop. She used to make fun of him for saying that’s his favorite one, cause she thought he was just saying this because it’s the closest one to his place, but when he actually took her there once and she tasted the coffee that was made there by the owners, Heidi and Gretel, who were also the only employees. At this point, the couple basically considered Alec and Izzy their friends, since they definitely spent way too much money at their shop. 

Isabelle’s heels were clicking against the concrete as she tried her best not to worry too much about her brother, but in the end it was inevitable. She would do anything to get him to realize that he should just ditch the whole family business and live his own life, but Alec was stubborn. What didn’t help, was definitely the fact that their parents only let Isabelle do her own thing because them and Alec agreed to let her do so at the expense of Alec getting involved in the business. Isabelle absolutely hated that, but she never really had any say in the family matters, so she tried to enjoy her freedom as much as she could, but in the end it was impossible for her to truly let loose, because she knew Alec was making a sacrifice for her at that very moment. 

She made it to the coffee shop, but as she got closer to the entranced, she realized it was blocked by someone. Specifically by a girl, a tiny bit shorter than her, with long, wavy, intensely red hair and black leather jacket with elbow-length sleeves, who was facing away from Isabelle and clearly talking to someone on the phone. 

“I know!” The girl groaned and Isabelle stopped in her tracks, as she didn’t want to interrupt her conversation to tell her to move. “I’m at this coffee shop he was supposed to meet me at, but obviously he bailed. I told you he doesn’t have the balls to do it.”

The girl brushed through her hair with her fingers, briefly exposing her neck, and Isabelle didn’t even realize when she started biting her lower lip. Her voice was so melodic and sweet. Then, the person the girl was talking to must have said something funny, because she threw her head back in laughter, and she absent-mindedly turned around. When she noticed Isabelle was standing there, staring at her, she visibly flinched. 

“Dad, I gotta go, I’ll call you back,” she said and ended the call and gestured her hand at Isabelle, blinking repeatedly. “I’m so sorry, I totally blocked the door here.”

She moved out of the way and giggled nervously. Her sunglasses balanced on the top of her head, holding some of her hair up. Isabelle blinked twice and opened her mouth to say something, but she seemed to be stumbling over her words.

“O-oh, no it’s totally okay, um, aren’t you also going in?” She said while nervously fixing a loose strand of her hair that flew into her eyes and obscured her vision a bit. And she definitely wanted to take a very good look at the girl in front of her. 

The girl laughed again. “Right, yes, I definitely am. I’m sorry, you just startled me a bit.” She extended her hand, delicately decorated with rings and thin bracelets, for Isabelle to shake, and she did just that. “I’m Clary Fray. And you are…?” 

“Isabelle Lovelace. Nice to meet you.” Izzy said with a big smile as she was still shaking Clary’s hand. When they finally separated, Clary gestured at Izzy to get into the coffee shop, where she soon followed her. 

“Isabelle! Hey!” Gretel waved at her when they walked in, and Izzy waved right back at her. “An americano and a red eye?”

“Hey, Gretel. You know it.” Isabelle said, and in the corner of her eye she noticed Clary shifted uncomfortably. “What are you drinking, Clary?” She addressed her new friend and Clary scanned the menu thoroughly. 

“Um, recommend me something?” Clary said and smiled at Isabelle. “You seem to be a regular here, so I assume you know what’s good?” 

Isabelle nodded with a smile, and turned back to Gretel.

“Add a white chocolate americano to it, okay?” She said, and Gretel nodded at them and started preparing their drinks.

Meanwhile, Clary and Isabelle made their way to the waiting area, as the coffee shop only sold coffee to go, therefore there were basically no tables in the small space of the shop. Isabelle put her purse on the little counter by the window and sat on the bar stool, and Clary did the same. She also took off her jacket and hung it on the back of the chair.

“An order for two, huh?” Clary said, somewhat disappointed, but she still sent Isabelle a smirk. “A boyfriend, a girlfriend?” 

Isabelle laughed out loud and brushed her fingers through her long hair. “Just a friend. And trust me, him and I are not each other’s types for a variety of reasons.” 

“Sorry if I’m being too direct, but I find it quite unlikely you’re not everyone’s type.” Clary responded and Isabelle could have sworn she saw her beginning to blush. 

It’s been so long since Isabelle was being flirted with by someone she actually found attractive. The second she saw Clary her heart immediately started beating fast, because the girl was gorgeous, probably the most beautiful girl she’s ever seen. Isabelle realized she was bisexual when she was fifteen - up to that moment she “dated” exclusively boys, but she always thought girls were pretty as well, but the big awakening happened when one girl from her class kissed her at the school dance and told her she had a crush on her. First, Isabelle started comparing the kiss to the ones she had with boys, but eventually she realized the experiences were vastly different, but both were very pleasant and seemed to come naturally to her. After that, she dated a few people here and there, but just like Alec, she never actually devoted herself to one person long term, and she knew it was because of all the experiences they had with their family. In the end, Isabelle and Alec were not much different when it comes to their attitude towards relationships. 

“Well, I don’t really know if you’re flirting with me right now or just being nice, but you should look at yourself,” Isabelle said and gestured at Clary, smiling. “You’re stunning. Are you from around here?”

“I was studying abroad, but I came back here after graduation,” Clary replied. Izzy couldn’t help but feel disappointed she didn’t make any comment on the flirting, so she decided to take it down a notch, since obviously she was confused and Clary  _ was  _ just being nice. “Honestly, I missed New York. I travelled around Europe a bit, but it just wasn’t the same. It was fun, but it wasn’t home, you know?”

Isabelle nodded in response. “Honestly, I’ve been kind of over New York for a while now. Too much drama, too many bad memories. But at the end of the day, I don’t know if I could just turn my back and leave.”

Clary sent her a sympathetic smile. “There are places on Earth that just suck you in, and I think New York is very much a place like that. But hey, it’s kind of like with a relationship, if it suffocates you then it’s time to try your luck elsewhere.” 

Isabelle smiled back at Clary, but before she could say anything else, Gretel called her name so she stood up to pick up their order. When she returned to Clary, she handed her the coffee and Clary took the lid off the cup and smelled her beverage. She closed her eyes and hummed softly in approval, then she took two packets of brown sugar from the tray and added it to her drink. She stirred it with the wooden stick and tasted it, even though Isabelle was sure it was still pretty hot. 

“Wow.” Clary’s face lit up after she swallowed the coffee. “This is the best coffee I’ve had in a long time! Even my favorite coffee shop in Paris didn’t have anything even remotely close to this!” She took another big sip, but she held her finger up and stood up to go over to the counter where Gretel was. 

“Can I get an extra brown sugar, please?” Clary asked Gretel, who handed her another packet with a smile. Then, Clary returned to Isabelle, who had just finished stirring her own coffee. She left Alec’s red eye untouched, cause he never wanted any sugar in it. “Sorry, I just like my coffee extra extra sweet. Since I’ve decided to stop eating chocolate, that is my only way of getting sugar into my system.”

Isabelle giggled and took a sip of her coffee. She knew she should be on her way back to Alec, but she couldn’t help but feel like she just wants to stay here with Clary for as long as possible. They chatted for a few more minutes, but then Clary’s phone rang and when she checked it she seemed really affected by the content of the text she had received. She stood up hurriedly and grabbed her jacket. 

“I’m really sorry,” she said while putting it on. “I have to run, it’s a family emergency. Thanks for the coffee!”

Then, she grabbed her cup and moved quickly towards the door, leaving Isabelle behind, stunned. Right before she went through the door, she turned around and looked at Isabelle. 

“Nice to meet you, Isabelle Lovelace,” she said and sent Izzy one last smile. “And, for the record, I  _ was  _ flirting.” She winked and ran out of the store. 

Isabelle grabbed her purse and her and Alec’s coffee and walked out of the shop as quick as she could, but as she looked around the street, she noticed Clary was already gone. Isabelle cursed under her breath, after all she didn’t even get Clary’s number, and now she would probably never see her again. Maybe her and Alec were just doomed when it comes to love after all. 

“Hey!” She heard Alec’s voice as she walked down the road to meet her. She must’ve been gone a lot longer than he had anticipated. “Did you get lost?” He joked, but when Isabelle turned around and faced him, she wasn’t smiling.

“Are you okay, Izzy?” Alec inquired, frowning. Izzy looked at him and shook her head slightly as if she was trying to wake herself up from a dream. 

“All good,” Isabelle said and handed Alec his coffee. “Red eye for the gentleman. Now let’s go meet our makers.” 

* * *

Walking through the front door of their childhood home, Alec and Isabelle couldn’t help but feel like they had just stepped into a mouse trap set up specifically for them. Their parents must have hired a cleaning service because the space didn’t look like it should since it hasn’t been used for years, there was no dust anywhere, on the table in the living room stood a bowl full of fresh fruit, and everything emanated a slight smell of lemon. It was like they had gone through a time machine, since the suffocating feeling of being in this house swooped in immediately. 

“Alec, Isabelle!” They were greeted by their mother, Maryse, who was wearing a dark red dress and whose hair was being held up by a black pin. “It’s so nice to see you.” She walked over to them and kissed both of them on the cheek, then gestured to them to walk over to the dining room, where the huge table was set with four plates and four sets of cutlery. 

“I thought it would be nice to have dinner together, just like old times.” Maryse walked over to the oven and pulled out what seemed to be a chicken rotisserie, then she put it on the wooden board in the middle of the table. 

Isabelle and Alec looked at each other and both raised their eyebrows. 

“Funny.” Isabelle started and Maryse’s lips immediately pressed her lips together in a thin line. “As far as I can remember, we never really had family dinners. Alec and I usually ate takeout in our rooms, but I guess…” 

Alec dug his elbow in Izzy’s arm, and when she looked at him he closed his eyes and shook his head. He just wanted to check this off his list and go back to his apartment. 

Maryse walked back to the kitchen counter and picked up a bowl with a salad, but she remained silent, until she put it on the table and faced her children again. 

“I know there must be many things you two blame us for,” she said. Alec rolled his eyes and tightened his hands into fists. Izzy noticed, and reached for Alec’s right hand. He grabbed it and sent his sister a little smile. Maryse continued speaking, completely ignoring the silent interaction Alec and Izzy just had. “But I was hoping now that we’re back we could try to make things work. You know, as a family.”

Neither Alec or Isabelle managed to say anything to that sentiment, because they heard the door to the basement open, and when they turned towards it, they noticed their father coming out of it with a bottle of white wine.

“Hello, Isabelle, Alexander,” he said dryly and almost impatiently, and Alec thought perhaps their father shared the same sentiment as him, that he wanted this situation to be over as fast as possible. Robert went over to the kitchen counter and opened a drawer to reach for the corkscrew. “A special occasion calls for a special bottle of wine. You like Chardonnay, right?” 

Robert gestured at them to sit down at the table and they obliged. He poured everyone a glass of wine as Maryse was cutting the chicken and putting it on the plates. “Come on, Alec, can you pass the salad bowl around real quick?”

Alec sighed and grabbed the bowl, put a bit of the salad on his plate and passed it over to Isabelle, who then shoved it in the general direction of Robert, without looking him in the eye. Alec thought how badly he wanted to just text Simon and get some much needed distraction, but his phone was dead and he didn’t have time to charge it up at his apartment. Besides, he knew he couldn’t leave Izzy alone being bombarded by all the questions their parents were sure to ask them. 

Maryse finished cutting the chicken and sat down at the table next to Robert and on the opposite side as Alec and Izzy. She took a sip of her wine and grabbed her knife and fork to start cutting into the piece of deliciously smelling meat on her plate, and the rest of them followed in an awkward silence. After a moment, she spoke again.

“So, tell me, anything interesting happening in your life?” She asked, looking from Alec to Izzy again and again, wishing for a response, but when there was none, she continued digging in. “Maybe there’s someone special we don’t know about?”

Alec flinched and he heard Isabelle drop her fork forcefully on the side of her plate. She rested her elbows on the table and rubbed her eyes in frustration and anger. Alec knew what she was angry about, what he himself was angry about, but unlike his sister, he knew that sometimes it wasn’t worth it to speak up about these things.

“Okay, this whole dinner was a ridiculous idea in the first place,” Isabelle said while glaring at Maryse. “But now you’re gonna ask us if we’re dating anyone as if you’re not out there treating Alec like a piece of meat and marrying him off to some random European bitch?”

“Isabelle, that’s enough.” Robert also put his fork down forcefully and looked at his daughter angrily. “You don’t even know what you’re talking about. Alec is a Lightwood, and he will do what he needs to do to help his family.”

“I’m a Lightwood too!” Izzy exclaimed. “You’re just gonna act like I’m not? Like I should just keep quiet while you’re trying to ruin my only brother’s life? You’re the one who made me change my last name so that you can use me even more as your pawn.”

“Izzy-” Alec tried to calm her down, he put his hand on her shoulder, but she shook it off. 

“Don’t. I’m sorry, but I’m not just gonna sit here and pretend it’s a normal situation,” Isabelle said and Alec looked down. Some part of him wished he was the one to speak up, but he knew he could only wish he was as strong as Isabelle was on her weakest days. He knew he could never live up to that, no matter how hard he tried. “I don’t need this dinner, I don’t need to play house with you, and I definitely don’t need this fucking  _ family _ . You were gone, and we were fine. We’re okay without you, Maryse. And definitely okay without you, Robert. Now if you’ll excuse me-” She stood up from the table.

“So you’re saying you don’t need the money anymore either?” Robert said sternly, while chewing on the piece of chicken he had put in his mouth. He looked unbothered by everything Isabelle had just said. “Then I hope you’ve enjoyed New York, as without the money we sent you you couldn’t even afford living here.”

“Well,” Isabelle said. “If it suffocates you, it’s time to try your luck elsewhere. Now, you two have a good night. Alec?” 

Alec looked at his sister and nodded. He stood up, but before they could leave the room, they heard Robert’s voice once again.

“Alec,” he said. “I was actually hoping you would stay. I have some stuff I want to discuss with you. Please, give me an hour of your time, it’s really important.” 

Alec looked at Isabelle again and walked closer to her. “I want to hear what he has to say. You can go, I’ll meet you at your place later, okay?” He whispered and immediately saw Isabelle was going to protest, so he sent her a pleading look and she bit her lip, quietly deciding what to do in this situation, but eventually she nodded and left the house, leaving Alec alone with their parents. 

Alec noticed Maryse leaving the house as well, and he thought she probably wanted to follow Isabelle to talk to her. He was wondering if there was anything left to say at this point, but before he could consider it more closely his thoughts were interrupted by Robert’s voice. 

“I’m sorry, I was a bit too hard on Isabelle,” Robert said and Alec frowned. He couldn’t believe his father was actually admitting it. “But part of me wanted to talk to you, and what I have to say is not something I want Isabelle to be a part of, as I’m sure you don’t either.” He took a big sip of the wine and he poured some more into his glass. He almost seemed nervous, and Alec knew it definitely wasn’t a good thing. 

“If you wanna tell me I’m supposed to get married to a woman, I already know,” Alec said bitterly and he reached for his wine glass as well. 

Robert shook his head. “It’s… It’s all very much in the air still, let’s just say this is not really our priority anymore, son.”

“What do you mean?” Alec frowned. He hated when his father was cryptic like this, because each word and each sentence usually had something much worse hidden behind it, and he preferred things being clear from the get go. But he didn’t think he had the luxury of being able to speed things up here, so he just sat and listened to what his father had to say.

“What I want you to understand is we came back home for a reason.” Robert continued. “We had a huge job opportunity in France, it was supposed to be the biggest heist of our lives. Everything was prepared, we were ready for every possible thing that could go wrong. But… when we reached the destination on the day of the robbery, we realized someone beat us to it.”

Alec rolled his eyes. “So what? It’s not like you signed any contracts or whatever. You’re drug dealers and thieves, I’m sure you could figure out another heist if you wanted to.”

“Alec, listen…” Robert sounded tired and exasperated. “The people who commissioned the heist want us to pay them back now, even though it was unsuccessful. And we don’t have that kind of money! We’re talking billions here, Alec. So we ran away, but it’s only a matter of time before they catch us here, and when they do… They’re not gonna be satisfied solely with reprimanding us.”

Alec was trying to absorb what he had just heard. His parents were running away from people who wanted money? For a moment, he thought it sounded absolutely ridiculous, but he knew Robert and Maryse too well to disregard it. He knew that sort of thing was definitely more probable than them coming back to New York because they missed their children. 

“Okay, so… You always talked about how after my graduation you’ll have me join you,” Alec said after drinking an entire glass of wine and setting it down loudly on the table in annoyance. “I assume that’s what you want me to help you with? But how am I supposed to get, as you said,  _ billions _ of dollars?”

Robert stood up and moved to sit on the chair closer to Alec and he looked directly at his son, and in his eyes Alec saw he really was desperate. 

“We figured out who fucked us over,” Robert said and Alec raised his eyebrows at him. “His name is Asmodeus Bane. He’s basically doing what we do, but we’ve never got in each other’s way before, but the whole thing looked suspiciously like a play specifically designed against us, it couldn’t have been a coincidence.”

“Asmodeus Bane?” Alec heard this name once or twice before, but he wasn’t sure where or when. It just sounded familiar. “Well, maybe he just wanted to get the money for himself.”

“No. Trust me, he did it on purpose. He’s out to get me, I know it.” Robert seemed lost in thought for a second, but when he looked at Alec again, Alec saw he was looking into the eyes of a madman. His father went completely and utterly mad, from fear, from greed, it was hard to tell at this point. “We figured out he has some secret database where he keeps all the information about his operations… If we manage to hack into it, maybe we could still get the money and get out of this whole thing alive. That’s where you come in. You…” Robert stood up and walked over to the door leading down to the basement of the house. “...and Asmodeus’ son.”

He opened the door and gestured at Alec to follow him. Alec stood up and walked closer to his father, but before Robert could start walking down the stairs, Alec grabbed him by his elbow.

“What do you mean his son?!” He hissed. “Oh my God. Dad, what have you done?”

Robert freed himself from Alec’s grasp and started making his way down the stairs, and Alec followed him hesitantly.  _ This is it _ , he thought. This was his big entrance into the world of his parents. At this point he expected to be more freaked out by everything that was going on, but for some reason he felt quite numb. He knew this would happen. He knew at some point he would be involved in something illegal, something dangerous. But now that he knew there was also someone else involved? Alec didn’t know the guy, but this was a game changer. And he knew that if crossed this specific line, he might not ever recover from it. 

The basement was huge. It consisted of multiple rooms, each had its own thick door and a lock on it, it seemed almost like a dungeon. At least that’s the vibe Alec got when he realized someone was being held hostage in one of these rooms. 

“Having Bane’s son here is already a leverage we would be stupid not to use, but since I need you to hack into his database, we need some information,  _ any _ information that would help us find it and crack it, since for now we’ve got nothing.” Robert stopped abruptly and turned to his son to look him in the eye. “This is not gonna be pretty. He won’t tell us anything if we treat him like a prince, so we gotta do what we gotta do, you know? And if you ever think of betraying me, betraying this family… Just think of how many death warrants you’re signing. And I believe a little motivation goes a long way, so think of your sister, your mother, that annoying friend you made in college, even the fucking baristas from that coffee shop you go to.”

Alec’s jaw dropped to the floor.  _ How? _ How did Robert seem to know everything about his life? How did he know exactly which buttons to press to have Alec right where he wanted him? 

Alec thought his father went mad, but no, it wasn’t that. He’s been mad for a long time now. This wasn’t mad Robert speaking, it was  _ desperate  _ Robert. A cockroach, who would sacrifice anything and everything to survive, even his own family.

And in that moment, that sent chills down Alec’s spine.

They continued walking for a little while, but right before the end of the basement suddenly Robert stopped once again and opened the door to his right. It was dark, the only thing illuminating their path before was Robert’s flashlight, but when they stepped into the huge room, Robert turned the light switch on and Alec’s eyes were attacked by the sudden surge of white light. 

“There,” Robert said and moved out of the way of Alec, allowing him to look further inside the room. “Get yourselves acquainted.”

Alec squinted to see a guy sitting in the corner of the room, with his head hanging low so Alec was unable to see his face. His wrists were cuffed and so were his legs, but they were additionally attached to the floor with a heavy chain. Alec noticed what the guy was wearing and he froze. It was a see-through, burgundy shirt he knew all too well. His heart started beating heavily.

_ No. This couldn’t be happening. Please, tell me this isn’t happening. _

Suddenly, the guy raised his head and looked Alec straight in the eye, and Alec choked on his own breath. 

_ Magnus _ , he thought.  _ God, please, anyone but him… Anyone… Just not him. _

“Alexander?” Magnus said and Alec felt like someone stabbed him in the chest. He could no longer speak, or even breathe, he just stood there, eyes locked with Magnus, who seemed so defeated and almost disappointed. 

“So,” Robert said and put his hand on Alec’s shoulder. “I see my sources weren’t lying. You  _ do  _ know each other. I see you had some real good fun last night,  _ A l e x a n d e r _ .” He dragged out Alec’s name, putting air quotes around it, and he knew exactly what he was doing.

He was bending Alec to his own will, he had him right when he wanted him, mentally on his knees. 

And Alec wordlessly begged for all of this to be nothing more than a terrible nightmare. 


End file.
